James B Westervelt

He was born July 2, 1940 in Pekin to William N. and Helen M. (Heisel) Westervelt. He was preceded in death by his parents.

He is survived by three children: Jay, Julia and Jill.

Jim was a 1958 graduate of Pekin Community High School, where he played baseball and basketball and was a member of the National Honor Society. He went on to play baseball and graduated from the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado in June of 1963. Jim also played with the United States baseball team in the 1963 Pan American games held at Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Jim first taught and coached baseball at Norwalk High School, a college preparatory high school in Norwalk, California for several years before returning to the Midwest. He retired and left Kroger in 1998 as a general merchandise department head in 1998 with 17 years of service.

Jim’s passion was baseball and he was an ardent fan of the St. Louis Cardinals.

He was a member of St. Paul United Church of Christ in Pekin.

His funeral will be at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 28, 2017 at Preston-Hanley Funeral Homes & Crematory in Pekin. The Rev. Dr. Brian Byrne will officiate. Visitation will be one hour before the funeral. Burial will be in Glendale Memorial Gardens in Pekin.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Paul United Church of Christ, 101 North 8th Street, Pekin, IL 61554 or Pekin Community High School Athletic Fund, 320 Stadium Dr., Pekin, IL 61554.

To express condolences online, visit www.preston-hanley.com